New-York tribune., 1887-12-13
ILLUSTRATED LITERATURE.
up LOWS NEW "KEATS."

VII IT ,,rproS Illustrated nv JosErT PESNEIL and the
Author. Pr 3GS. Boston: Roberts Bros.
The Odas and Sonuets" Of Keafs have otarcd to
Mr. Low fewer subjects adapted to direct illnstrs-
ION than did the Lanlt." but on the otler band
they have Tad the popular merit OF greater variety
The selections made by the artist sometimes appear
arbitrary. and yet Mr.. Low has exercised his night
fnl liberty of choice with discretion. HIS
attitude toward his text is at times that of the
,lutrator again that of the designer of accomDanl-
mspts. His idealized portrait of Keats " alone
ON the shore" his Cupid and Psyche ana
GEve of ST. Mark" arc among the examples of
direct illustration hich, however. invariably owes
much to the artists fancy and Is never without
pictorial charm. The choice of Ruth amid
the alien corn as the illustration of the "Ode TO
n Nightipgale" will strike most observers as an ex
annie of n literal reliance upon the text when IS
really les, directly expressive than purely magma
tive treatment would have been. In the ode lo
Auturnn" the poet hinsef draws a picture whch
certainly offers many possibilities as MT Lo"
c.sirn of "A figure with n basket OF irult anu
cleaner In his accOn2anlrnents. Ike thoso 10 the
y Ooe "a n Grecian I'm" Fancy .and Melan-
choly" the artists rclinel fancy rises to magma
tion and. although his conceptions are uneven,
they NAV fairly he SAID 10 present eVuchces VI Sc
uine creative power.
Turning from the choice Of subjects TO the treat
mont a comparison of tins work with the noble
Illustrations of the L,mia" will he founl to
strenEiLen confidence in the artist Oar hguTe
pajnting has male less rapid progress than our
Landscape art fact due in large part TO the
environment Uf the artists, and We can number TO-
d,y only a few men who combine intelligent tech
niquc and a scnsitveneSs to pure beauty IN the
stuIy of the made. IL NAV he that Mr.. Lows Illus
trative work has not eaned for him the hrst place
I'm this company, bnt it is certainly dIfhcult
matter to name his superior He has approached
lis d iicu!t task III spirit OF perfect sympathy
and sincerity. This sympathy and the artists
correct taste have led him to avoid Il current
tendency TO make dra W ngS of the ncure smr ly
means of exhibiting the artists technical clever
ress. The studio OT de force may represent vain
able practice and possess considerable technical
interest but il is not necessarily attractive nor
beautiful. The work OF the great Renaissance
Itallans was decorative In the best sense 81 the
word; that is it possessed some charm OF line or
color which explained itself at once. Tho fashion
Of offering dexterIty in execution in place of the
beauty which we all instilctivcy cravo Is not
illustrated in these drawings. Their general
characteristics are grace and refinement Hero as
in the Lama" but perhaps less noiceaby. Mr.
Iov shows something of the Greek delight in the
human form. He has drawn it frankly and Low
ingy rec gnizing its sensuous beauty but avoiding
,n,tcralsm and brutality as well as the severity of
forced ascetic treatment. Various interpretations
of his text were open to him 10 other illustrators
Tic warmth and passion of portions OF keats'S
verse made it possible for HIM to follow the ex-
annie of the artist who illustrated Rossetti's
q Blessed Damozel" last year and to translate his
text into the language OF materasW But in Mr..
Lows hands sensuousness does not degenerate into
eusnalitv In some figure drawings of this class,
facial expression which of course IS properly sub
ordinate TO siuNy Of the planes aud curves of tody
and limbs. is entirely ignored. Mr. Low has very
properly considered that charming and expressive
face is in nc wav irreconcilable with torso vol.
drawn ana modelled Occasionally his faces as IN
the dedication are so realistically modern as to
convey a feeling of incongruty, but elsewhere, as
in LA Belle Dame sans Merci," which is treated
W ith wise reserve facial expression becomes ost
significant feature. 1t is necessary to acknowledge
the model at times. but Mr. Low has been fortunate
in his models and on the whole, he has assimilated
his material. For charm of face and grace of treat
nent his fronispie figure has no superior among
the Illustrations.
So far as draughtsmanship is concerned the
artists characteristics are general correctness.
refinement rather than extraordinary vigo: and an
occasional approach to Journalism Between
severity and exuberance his sty 10 may be said TO
hold with the former There are evidences Of a
slight constrant and of some oveIconsclentous
ness which will disappear if Mr. Low goes on TO
attain the and assurance OF complete mastery
Fore example a master would not hesitate to slight
details at the risk of exposing himsef to tech
pical criticisms Ii may be that the hand offers one
of the severer tests of draus shsmanship but hand
Ohtrusvely we'll drawn may disturb the unity OF
compos stion and distract attention from the central
effect. With Mr. Low. however, the prominence OF
hands and especially of feet as i'll the Greclan
Urn,"" "Au:uma," and Fancy" is a matter of com
position as well of an elaboration which has not
always succeeded in its primary purpose of correct
ness. Tho first figure of the Grecsn Urn" offers
an unusual example Of awkwardness in arrange
,nent and in foreshortcnng. and there are lapses in
drang ghtsmanship here and there, but the drawing
like the composition, is usually excellent There
ere neteen drawings, including the minor prelim-
mary orl, and the mum Der includes not only the
portrait OF Keats already alluded to, but another
of Keats dead an unaffected and di ignifed presenta-
tion. Mr.. Low has availed himself both OF Greek
and Florentine forms for his costumes aud acces-
sories. His charming illustration OF the " Ode on
Melancholy" is thoroughly Florentine in subject
This, the Eve Of ST, Marx" and La Belle Dame
are the best of his draped figures, while his Diana
we'll represents pure and beautiful rendering of the
nude The sincerity, grace. fine feeling and solid
merit cf Mr.. Lows drawings are entitled to cordial
RECOGNITION. Superlatives have little meaning in
this day of indscriminate euloges upon illustrated
literature, but it is only just to say that Mr. Low
has done the most important work in illustration
OF anv single American artist of the year
These drawings have been reproduced by the
HForbes photogra, ure process with generally sat
,sfactory results. There decorative floral
panels on each page, the cover and lining paper
have been designed by Mr.. Low and the mechan-
lcal features of the book are croditaDle.
Mr.. Hamerton is certainly one Of the most prolific
of writer's His pen runs always easily. and perhap,
his outdoor books, instead of proving an added
task, have offered pleasant relief from expositions
of etching and other graphic arts, discussions of
es,bstics and critical and editorial dutie3 His